Midwest Area Parishes Turn Out to Thank Longtime Pastor

More than 200 parishioners and several clergy from Armenian churches around the Midwest gathered on Saturday, May 31, 2003 to honor Very Rev. Fr. Varoujan Kabaradjian, longtime pastor of St. James Church in Evanston, IL, for his more than five decades of service in the priesthood.

"Naturally, in becoming a servant of God, Hayr Soorp also became a servant of our people," said Archbishop Khajag Barsamian during a dinner honoring Fr. Kabaradjian. "Over the past five decades, countless individuals have been touched by his wisdom and kindness. And these people--especially the people of our Midwest parishes--will always reserve a special place in their hearts for this beloved teacher, pastor and friend."

Fr. Kabaradjian was born in Turkey, and grew up in a suburb of Istanbul until leaving to study at the seminary in Jerusalem in 1947. There, in the St. Gregory the Illuminator Chapel at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, he was ordained as a priest. He came to the United States and Evanston in 1958.

"In the early years of his life, in St. James in Jerusalem, he learned and grew in the spirit of this Holy Place," His Beatitude Archbishop Torkom Manoogian, Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem, wrote in a message to Fr. Kabaradjian read during the dinner. "Then Fr. Kabaradjian accepted with enthusiasm and readiness the opportunity to serve in this new environment in America."

While serving as Primate of the Eastern Diocese, Archbishop Manoogian appointed Fr. Kabaradjian his Midwest regional representative and president of the Midwest Regional Council.

Along with serving St. James in Evanston, Fr. Kabaradjian has also served as a visiting pastor to churches in Chicago, Belleville, Waukegan, and Palos Heights, IL., as well as in Racine, West Ellis, and South Milwaukee, WI.

"At several times in his ministry, Hayr Soorp found himself as the only Armenian priest in the region--with all the responsibility of the church on his shoulders," the Primate said. "It is a credit to his ministry that Fr. Varoujan has always lived up to that burden, always exemplified the finest qualities of the Armenian priesthood. His pastoral care has invigorated the life of this region, and his example has inspired others--both clergy and laymen--to answer the call of discipleship to Christ."

During the dinner honoring Fr. Kabaradjian, he was presented with a Pontifical Encyclical from His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians. The Primate also presented him with a khatchkar on behalf of the Eastern Diocese.